2012 Election

[American Patriot]

Not allowing O to use the Teleprompter was UNFAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-T...ter-At-Debates

[American Patriot]

Republican chairman downplays 'impressive' Obama fundraising totals

Reince Priebus insists GOP has 'all the money we need to be competitive' as the president maintains a polling advantage

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• Matt Williams in New York
  
• guardian.co.uk, Sunday 7 October 2012 12.11 EDT
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Mitt and Ann Romney take the stage during a campaign rally on Saturday in Apopka, Florida. Photograph: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty

Senior Republican figures attempted to downplay the role of money in the presidential race Sunday, as Barack Obama embarked on a new push for funds having already announced a record monthly haul.
Speaking on CNN's State of the Union, Republican national committee chairman Reince Priebus prompted speculation that Democrats were opening up a war-chest gap as the election heads into its final month.
A day after Obama announced a $181m total for September donations – the highest monthly total posted by either candidate to date – Priebus admitted that he was unsure that Republican candidate Mitt Romney would be able to match what he described as as an "impressive number".
"We all understand that this race isn't going to come down to money," he added, while suggesting that the Republicans still had "all the money we need to be competitive".
Obama's announcement, made via a tweet Saturday, that supporters had helped amass the largest one-month fundraising total for his re-election campaign has taken the wind out of the Republican sails following what was widely seen as a win for Romney in the first presidential debate on Wednesday night.
That victory appears to have been short-lived. A little more than 24 hours after the inaugural head-to-head, new job figures came out that gave cheer to Obama's re-election efforts.
Friday's monthly unemployment data revealed that the US had added 114,000 new jobs in September, in line with expectation.
But a dramatic upwards revision of the previous month's data, from 96,000 to 142,000 new jobs, saw the headline unemployment rate fall to 7.8%, from 8.1% – the first dip below 8% since Obama took office in January 2009.
It enabled the president to shrug off the disappointment of a lacklustre debate performance.
The job figures were "a reminder that this country has come too far to turn back now", he told supporters while on the stump in Virginia.
Romney countered that "by any rational measure, it is crystal clear we are in the middle of a jobs crisis".
But the news is likely to eat into any debate bump the Republican candidate may have been expecting.
As it is, polls suggest that a strong performance during the head-to-head exchange on Wednesday – broadcast to an estimated audience of 67 million viewers – has not done enough to tip the balance in Romney's favour.
An Ipsos/Reuters snapshot of voter intention released Saturday evening found that Obama maintained an advantage, albeit a reduced one.
The survey, conducted after the debate was aired, put the Democrat ahead by two points, with a 47% to 45% lead over Romney.
It is down from the six point margin he had held in some polls prior to Wednesday. But it nonetheless indicates that the Republican challenger still has some way to go in convincing swing voters.
Ipsos pollster Julia Clark said: "We haven't seen additional gains from Romney. This suggests to me that this is more of a bounce than a permanent shift."
The task of turning around the polls could be made harder for the Republican challenger if his campaign finances for September show a shortfall in donations when compared to the White House incumbent.
Figures from the Federal Election Commission revealed that in August, Obama pulled ahead in terms of monthly donations, with $114m compared to $111m for Romney.
Meanwhile, greater spending earlier in the race has depleted the Republican candidate's war chest, undermining claims that he had a cash advantage over his rival.
Priebus, on CNN's State of the Union, said the impressive fundraising figures of Obama were "no surprise", adding: "I've been saying that President Obama is going to raise a billion dollars for a year and a half".
But behind the scenes, Romney backers may be getting jittery over the greater spend potential of the Obama camp. The additional cash is likely to pay dividends when it comes to attack ads being played in key battleground states.
In a bid to lock in the cash advantage, Obama embarked on a two-day fundraising push in California on Sunday.
Star-studded bashes are planned in Los Angeles and San Francisco in an effort to milk the lucrative Hollywood and tech industries, thought to bend towards the Democrats.
"There is exactly one month left to go until election day," Obama campaign manager Jim Messina said in an email pitch ahead of the visit.
"The stakes are too high for us to take our foot off the gas now," he added.

[American Patriot]

University of Colorado Model Still Predicts A Romney Win On Election Night

October 8, 2012 10:38 am
by Nathan · 14 comments

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The University of Colorado’s quadrennial model to predict who will win the electoral college vote allocation has been updated with the most recent economic data. It still predicts a win for Mitt Romney on November 6th:

According to their updated analysis, Romney is projected to receive 330 of the total 538 Electoral College votes. President Barack Obama is expected to receive 208 votes — down five votes from their initial prediction — and short of the 270 needed to win.
The new forecast by political science professors Kenneth Bickers of CU-Boulder and Michael Berry of CU Denver is based on more recent economic data than their original Aug. 22 prediction. The model itself did not change.
“We continue to show that the economic conditions favor Romney even though many polls show the president in the lead,” Bickers said. “Other published models point to the same result, but they looked at the national popular vote, while we stress state-level economic data.”
While many election forecast models are based on the popular vote, the model developed by Bickers and Berry is based on the Electoral College and is the only one of its type to include more than one state-level measure of economic conditions. They included economic data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Of course, it’s only a model, but it’s been a fairly accurate model:

The state-by-state economic data used in their model have been available since 1980. When these data were applied retroactively to each election year, the model correctly classifies all presidential election winners, including the two years when independent candidates ran strongly: 1980 and 1992. It also correctly estimates the outcome in 2000, when Al Gore won the popular vote but George W. Bush won the election through the Electoral College.

What’s interesting is to see how the battleground states are predicted to go by this model:

Of the 13 battleground states identified in the model, the only one to change in the update was New Mexico — now seen as a narrow victory for Romney. The model foresees Romney carrying New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Iowa, New Hampshire, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. Obama is predicted to win Michigan and Nevada.
In Colorado, which Obama won in 2008, the model predicts that Romney will receive 53.3 percent of the vote to Obama’s 46.7 percent, with only the two major parties considered.

So, there you have it. Interpret the numbers as you will. As usual, your mileage may vary. How do you predict the electoral college will be divided on November 6th?

[American Patriot]

Politics Electoral College Model Predicts Romney Will Win Even Bigger Than Previously Thought in 2012

• Posted on October 8, 2012 at 8:57am by Billy Hallowell
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In August, TheBlaze told you about University of Colorado Professors Ken Bickers and Michael Berry and their highly-accurate Electoral College prediction model. As you may recall, Bickers and Berry, using their metrics, are able to retroactively predict every presidential win since 1980.
Their 2012 model made headlines two months ago because, despite polling, it found that Republican presidential candidate Romney would win 320 Electoral Votes, stealing the White House away from President Barack Obama. Now, an updated version of their study has come to the same conclusion — but it intensifies the numbers behind a predicted Romney win.
Despite the fact that polls still show a dead-heat race (Obama is currently at 48.2 percent, with Romney capturing 47.3 percent of likely voters in the most recent Real Clear Politics average), an updated election model shows an even larger gap between the Electoral College votes that Romney and Obama are projected to win. According to Bickers and Berry, the Republican challenger is projected to take 330 of the 558 votes, while Obama is expected to capture only 208 of them.
US Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann. Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

With 270 as the major number needed for any candidate to win, this clearly shows Obama far from the mark, sending Romney — at least theoretically — to victory come November. While the model did not change, Bickers‘ and Berry’s analysis is based on updated economic data, which clearly helped sway the projection even further in Romney’s favor.
The University of Colorado Boulder web site has more about how the model works:

While many election forecast models are based on the popular vote, the model developed by Bickers and Berry is based on the Electoral College and is the only one of its type to include more than one state-level measure of economic conditions. They included economic data from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. [...]

The Bickers and Berry model includes both state and national unemployment figures as well as changes in real per capita income, among other factors. The new analysis includes unemployment rates from August rather than May, and changes in per capita income from the end of June rather than March. It is the last update they will release before the election. [...]
In addition to state and national unemployment rates, the authors analyzed changes in personal income from the time of the prior presidential election. Research shows that these two factors affect the major parties differently: Voters hold Democrats more responsible for unemployment rates, while Republicans are held more responsible for fluctuations in personal income.

“We continue to show that the economic conditions favor Romney even though many polls show the president in the lead,” Bickers notes. “Other published models point to the same result, but they looked at the national popular vote, while we stress state-level economic data.”
US President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign convert at the Nokia Theater on October 7, 2012 in Los Angeles. Obama is on a three-day trip during which he will campaign in California and Ohio as well as attend the establishment of the Cesar Chavez National Monument. Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images

According to the prediction, Romney will carry New Mexico, North Carolina, Virginia, Iowa, New Hampshire, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida. On the flip side, Obama will take Michigan and Nevada.
Of course, Bickers and Berry caution those wedded to the data. Despite being correct for the past eight elections, there are some factors worth noting. The model has an average error rate of five states and 28 Electoral College votes. Plus, states that are close may end up being impacted by unexpected factors not included in the model.
Now, let’s get back to that record of accuracy mentioned earlier in this piece. The state-based economic data used by the researchers has been available since 1980, according to the university’s web site. When the data is applied to past elections, retroactively, it correctly chooses all of the winners. Most notably, it even correctly estimated the 2000 outcome, when Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush won the Electoral College.
In the end, though, anything is possible. Slight and unexpected changes could turn the entire scenario on its head. Still, the model — considering its viability — is worth paying attention to.

[American Patriot]

Romney wins

The Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff supposes three electoral outcomes

By Augusta Chronicle Editorial Staff
Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012
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When even Democrats are conceding that Republican Mitt Romney convincingly won Wednesday night’s presidential debate, that speaks volumes – especially to undecided voters.

Related Stories

• Obama wins
• In event of a tie

Many polls have shown the candidates as either statistically neck-and-neck, or with President Obama gaining an edge. But a pile of polls as high as Mt. Everest won’t matter one whit on Election Day, when – in that cherished voting booth – the only thing between an undecided voter and the button is not some nosy pollster, but gut instinct.
And that gut instinct is this: People know they’re not better off now than they were four years ago.
Poverty is up. The Misery Index – the merged figures of unemployment and inflation – is up. A $16 trillion federal debt is stomping our nation’s credit rating into the dirt. And even if you’re one of the lucky ones to see your income go up since 2008,
it buys less – gasoline and food prices are through the roof.
It’s tough to envision a plurality of voters thinking, “Sure – give me four more years of that.”
Unable to run on a successful record, Obama is the face of a re-election campaign whose job is to erect a Potemkin village of American success. The strategy: If enough voters can be brainwashed, just long enough, into thinking that Obama’s policies have improved our nation, then the election is a cinch for the incumbent.
But two University of Colorado political science professors unveiled an analysis in August that predicted a Romney presidential victory in November.
Their model doesn’t rely on which candidate is considered cooler, or which candidate Hollywood likes best, or which candidate playfully swats at the most softball questions on The View or The Late Show with David Letterman. The model relies on a huge complement of economic data, such as state and national unemployment figures and changes in per-capita income. That analysis successfully predicted the winner of every presidential race since 1980.
It’s not without its flaws, though. The analysis, as of this writing, relies on summer economic data. Fresher figures would yield more accurate results.
Also, the model is willing to give virtually all swing states to Romney. The professors’ assertion that Romney can take Minnesota, Wisconsin and New Hampshire strains almost any conservative’s Pollyanna attitude. So give those states to Obama. Give Colorado to Obama, too.
But even with those tweaks, that still gives Romney 286 votes in the Electoral College to Obama’s 252 under the professors’ model.
Every analysis of an election is a carefully stacked apple cart that easily can be overturned by reality’s variables – such as Wednesday night’s debate.
Two more of those variables – the undecided voter and gut instinct – can give the race to Romney.

[vector7]

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Obama announces César Chávez monument



12:14AM EST October 9. 2012 - President Obama traveled to Southern California on Monday to announce the establishment of a national monument to the Mexican-American union organizer César Chávez, while offering Hispanic voters a subtle nudge less than a month before Election Day.

While the trip to Keene, Calif., to pay tribute to the founder of the United Farm Workers was technically official White House business, it also helped magnify Obama's outreach efforts to the Hispanic community. It is an important voting bloc whose turnout could be crucial to his chances in the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia.

STORY: Obama: Cesar Chavez still inspires us

Obama noted Chávez led a historic 300-mile farmworkers' march from Delano to the California state capitol in Sacramento and remembered Chávez's role in organizing a 1966 boycott of table grapes, which eventually drew 17 million supporters across the country and led to growers agreeing to among farm worker contracts in history.

The president also celebrated Chávez as a leader who strove to improve the lives of the next generation, a goal that Obama acknowledged the nation is currently struggling to achieve.

"Today, we have more work to do to fulfill that promise," Obama said. "The recession we're fighting our way back from is still taking a toll, especially in Latino communities, which already faced higher unemployment and poverty rates."

Before addressing thousands at the site of the national monument, Obama toured the grounds of La Paz, where Chávez is buried, and met privately with the late leader's wife, Helen Chávez and his son, Paul.

And while Obama didn't expressly ask for votes, others who spoke before the president at Monday's ceremony reminded voters that Obama has appointed two Latinos to Cabinet positions — Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar — as well as the first Latina Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor. And they brought up the president's decision to defer deportation of young illegal immigrants who join the military or attend college.

The president was greeted with chants of "Four more years" by the friendly crowd. Obama derived his iconic 2008 slogan "Yes we can" from Chávez, who coined the phrase "Si se puede" during his efforts organizing migrant workers in the 1960s and 1970s.

Obama, who won the Latino vote by a better than 2-to-1 margin in 2008 over Sen. John McCain, is ahead of Romney nationally among that group 72%-to-21%, according to impreMedia-Latino Decisions poll published Monday.

Matt Barreto, a pollster with Latino Decisions, said what remains to be seen is whether Obama can turn out Hispanic voters at levels that could help him over the hump in critical swing states. Honoring Chávez is a smart move toward reminding voters of his record on issues important to the Hispanic community, he added.

"That sort of stuff is critical and it polls very well," Barreto said.

Results of polling in three battleground states — Florida, New Mexico and Virginia —show Obama and Romney are closer in the race for the Latino voters.

The two candidates are knotted at 47%-47% among Hispanics in Florida, while Obama holds a 58-26% edge in New Mexico and a 57%-42% lead in Virginia, according to polls conducted by Public Policy Polling on behalf of the left-leaning Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund and published Monday. Obama holds a 71%-20% lead among Hispanic voters in Nevada, another important state both candidates are vying for.

[American Patriot]

well.... Rooters is saying its a tie now...... Looks to me like they finally got the idea that LYING and telling the public "Obama has this" isn't going to work against the Republicans and those still "deciding" any more. You can't just assume now that the Right will stay home and not vote on this one anymore, huh, can you Obama?

LOL

So, now, make it a "close race in the polls" to "energize the base" as they keep saying, so they won't stay home and will go vote.

Obama is sooo gonna lose this.

Obama and Romney now tied in presidential race: Reuters/Ipsos poll





By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON | Tue Oct 9, 2012 2:23pm EDT




(Reuters) - Republican Mitt Romney has erased President Barack Obama's advantage in the race for the White House and the two candidates are now tied among likely voters, according to a Reuters/Ipsos tracking poll released on Tuesday.


With the November 6 election four weeks away, Romney and Obama each command 45 percent, the daily tracking poll found.


The Democrat held a steady lead in the poll for most of September, but Romney narrowed the gap following a strong debate performance last week. Obama had been leading by 2 percentage points in the last poll on Sunday.


The poll reflects a closely divided electorate and a sluggish economy, Ipsos pollster Cliff Young said.


"It's a much tighter race and Romney became much more presidential in people's eyes," Young said. "Things are probably back to where they should be."


Romney's improved prospects have shown up in other polls, after the former Massachusetts governor launched aggressive criticism of his rival's economic record during the debate in Denver.


Obama's advantage had already started to fade before the debate as Romney recovered from a series of campaign missteps.


The online survey of 1,157 likely voters was conducted between October 5 and October 9. The precision of Reuters/Ipsos polls is measured using a credibility interval, which in this case was plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.


Among a larger sample of 1,370 registered voters, Obama led by 3 percentage points, 45 percent to 42 percent.


Voters' personal views of Romney improved across a wide range of attributes following the debate, the poll found.


By a margin of 38 percent to 34 percent, registered voters now say that Romney is more likely than Obama to be effective in Washington.


The two candidates are now essentially tied when voters are asked whether they are tough enough and smart enough for the job, whether they have the right values, and whether they will protect American jobs. Obama had previously led Romney on these questions.


Obama is still viewed as more likeable, more eloquent and more empathetic than Romney by wide margins.


GAINING GROUND ON THE ECONOMY
An earlier round of Reuters/Ipsos polling found that Romney gained the most ground on the economic questions that were the focus of last Wednesday's debate.
In the week ended September 30, Obama held a lead of 4.3 percentage points when voters were asked which candidate has a better plan for the economy. As of Sunday, Romney held a lead of 4.6 percentage points on that question.


On job creation, Romney led by 2.4 percentage points, erasing Obama's earlier 5.8 percentage point lead on that issue. The bad numbers for Obama come despite a monthly jobs report last Friday that showed unemployment fell to a nearly four-year low in September.


Romney led by 7.7 percentage points when voters were asked which candidate would better handle the federal budget deficit.


Obama's lead on taxes fell from 10.5 percentage points to 4.9 percentage points. His lead on Social Security fell from 12.4 percentage points to 6.7 percentage points.


This earlier poll relied on a sample of 1,689 likely voters, conducted over a seven-day span that ended on Sunday. It has a credibility interval of 5.1 percentage points.
(Editing by Alistair Bell and Cynthia Osterman)

[American Patriot]

Of course EVERYONE knows the polls are skewed... so why listen to them when you can listen to psychics!

The psychics say: 2 of 3 predict Obama victory

October 09, 2012 10:00 AM


MATT STEINER
matt.steiner@gazette.com


Psychic Gushikawa shuffled her Tarot cards, sprayed her head and shoulders with frankincense and myrrh to clear her energy, and contemplated the upcoming presidential election.


The 59-year-old woman, with her calm voice and long dark hair, dealt the cards in a sweeping motion around a small table at the Metaphysical Celebration in downtown Colorado Springs on Monday.


“We’re having a rebirth of our nation,” Gushikawa said, interpreting the cards and describing 2013 as one of economic and international renewal for the United States. “It will take four months time to turn it around, but we’re ready to rise again.”


The woman, who said her name means strong spirited river, looked up from the table.


“What I’m seeing is that we will have (Barack) Obama as the president,” she said.


Some of the psychic readers at the Colorado Springs City Auditorium Monday didn’t want to be as bold as Gushikawa and two others who offered predictions on the Nov. 6 election. A few simply said “no,” another labeled the practice as “hokey,” and a 50-some-year-old gentleman said he had only met one person in his life who could truly predict the future.


Two of the three who enthusiastically took part in the exercise said the cards, stars and other energies point to the re-election of President Obama.


“According to my charts Obama will win,” said Mary R. Jayn, an astrologer from Lakewood.

Jayn said this is the 13th presidential election she has predicted with astrological charts. Her first was in 1964.


“I’ve missed with two out of 12. Those are pretty good odds,” said the self-proclaimed Democrat, noting that she even nailed the controversy-ridden George W. Bush-Al Gore race in 2000.


The only reader who predicted Mitt Romney as the victor in November was Sue Frank of Golden, who not only reads Tarot cards, but also does palm readings and handwriting analysis.


Frank has done readings about the election every day, she said as she shuffled her deck of Tarot cards and began to deal them out. She said results had been leaning in the president’s favor after the Democratic National Convention in early September. But since last week’s debate, “The more positive cards that I see come out for Romney,” she said.


Frank pointed to cards like the Five-of-Swords and The Lovers, noting that the Massachusetts governor is very organized and “feels a sense of freedom to be himself.” She said his confidence and the indication that “Romney is looking forward” will win him the election.


As for Obama, Frank said the president is more focused on the past. She said, “He has left something behind, but he’s not telling anyone.”


Frank and others said results from the politically focussed readings could change tomorrow. That is why she does them every day.


Each of the psychics indicated Monday that not everything has worked out as Obama had predicted before defeating John McCain in 2008. But for the group of readers, things like that don’t always matter.


For instance, Gushikawa said she had the chance to shake President Obama’s hand when he was in Pueblo and it was very telling.


“From shaking his hand with my left hand, which is the closest to my heart, I felt very good about him,” she said.

Read more: http://www.gazette.com/articles/elec...#ixzz28pddG4G2

[vector7]

Romney signs defaced with excrement in Virginia

David Sherfinski

Published on October 9, 2012



A conservative radio host based in central Virginia, has posted a video on his website of a GOP office with its window smashed in, expletive-laced rants presumably delivered at Republicans, and Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan signs torn down, defaced and smeared with what appears to be human excrement.

The clip (prefaced with a warning of "extremely graphic content") on the "Schilling Show" blog, written by radio host Rob Schilling, begins with President Obama on the campaign trail telling attendees to "argue with them and get in their face," a phrase he used in 2008 to encourage his supporters to talk to friends and neighbors about voting and accurately delivering his message, whether they were Republican or independent.

The clip then shifts to an expletive-laced rant labeled "Actual phone call received at Albemarle County, Virginia GOP Headquarters — September 11, 2012."

It goes on to show a man tearing down yard signs at an Americans For Prosperity event in Charlottesville while screaming obscenities, then a montage of Republican political signs that have been defaced — in one case with excrement — and Nazi imagery plastered onto an AFP sign.

The video ends with the words "Don't let Democrats, vandals, thieves, oppressors, intimidators, and tyrants silence you … Remember, NOVEMBER IS COMING."

Virginia is a critical battleground state, with the Charlottesville and Albemarle area — where the video was filmed — essentially the only Democratic stronghold in the state's expansive southside 5th Congressional district.

Sign wars are a traditional part of campaigning, and operatives use all sorts of tactics to try to put up as many signs as they can, and to protect their signs from vandalism by angry opponents.

http://m.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/oct/9/romney-signs-defaced-excrement-virginia/

[Phil Fiord]

As an aside on character and leadership, has anyone heard Obama himself say anything about the death of Ambassador Stevens? Ambassadors are posted by a President and and later confirmed. That puts Obama at center stage to say something, which I cannot see where he has.

[vector7]

AP purposefully making Romney look 'foolish' with poorly-timed photograph of Presidential candidate and school students

• Photo snapped by AP photographer Evan Vucci as Romney posed with schoolchildren in Virginia
• AP caption later clarified that girl in photo was reacting because of the photo op with the presidential hopeful
  

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 18:30 EST, 9 October 2012 | UPDATED: 03:02 EST, 10 October 2012

• Comments (54)

Mitt Romney may want to watch where he squats after a troubling photo of the candidate bending over in front of schoolchildren was beamed all over the world.

The photo shows Romney crouching down in front of the gaggle of young students at Fairfield Elementary School in Virginia, where he had been campaigning on Monday.
But behind him, one of the children is looking down, her mouth gaped open with a look of shock on her face.
Scroll down for video


Shock: The combination of Romney's lower-lip biting and the look on the girl¿'s face sparked caption contests and anger among those who say the AP was out of line to publish the photo

The combination of Romney's lower-lip biting and the look on the girl’s face sparked caption contests on Facebook and anger among those who believe the AP was out of line to publish the photo in the first place.

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Steve Manuel, an award-winning photographer and Penn State lecturer, told FoxNews.com: 'In this photo, while it may appear funny, AP knows exactly what viewers are thinking.'

'It's not legitimate news. AP knows that viewers are going to chuckle and imagine what the little girl is seeing, and it makes Gov Romney appear a bit foolish.


Say cheese: A different angle shows Romney posing with the children in the way his campaign likely intended

The photo was shot by Evan Vucci, a seasoned AP photographer whose career has taken him everywhere from the warzones of Iraq and Afghanistan to FedEx Field to cover the Washington Redskins.

In a statement to TheBlaze.com, the AP said: 'The Associated Press on Monday took and distributed six photos of Gov Romney's visit to an elementary school in Fairfield, Virginia, to its member news organizations and customers.

'One image showed Romney as he was crouching down to pose for a photo with the schoolchildren. The picture received a caption addition on Tuesday to better explain what was happening.'


Campaign stop: Romney speaks to supporters at a rally on a farm on Tuesday near Van Meter, Iowa

In doing so, the AP clarified that the student behind the Republican presidential hopeful was reacting because he would be posing in front of her and her classmates.

The photos were taken as Romney commanded his motorcade to turn around for an unscheduled stop at the school as he saw children waving from the school yard, according to ABC News.

The network reported that Romney told the kids: 'Thanks for waving at me as I came by, I decided to come by and say hi to you guys.'


Surprise: Romney stunned diners at an Ohio Wendy's restaurant on Tuesday during a campaign stop

AP publishes unflattering pic of Romney bending over

Published October 09, 2012
FoxNews.com

• 
  This photo of Mitt Romney posing with students of Fairfield Elementary School in Fairfield, Va., was published Monday by the Associated Press. (AP)

It was a news photo that, as Gawker quipped, was "ripe for captioning."

A pic of Mitt Romney bending over, while a seemingly astonished schoolgirl stands behind him, mouth agape.

The photograph, posted Monday by The Associated Press for all to see, has since surged across the Internet. The candidate riding a wave of confidence from last week's debate performance was suddenly made, pardon, the butt of jokes.

So was it a cheap shot?

Tim Graham, media analysis director at the Media Research Center, said absolutely.

"It's unbelievable," he wrote. "It honestly looks like a little girl is gaping at Romney from behind."

A closer look appears to show the girl looking at something else to the right of Romney. The caption, though, did not initially make clear what it is she's staring at. The caption said: "Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney poses for photographs with students of Fairfield Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in Fairfield, Va."

The AP has since tried to clarify. After FoxNews.com published an earlier version of this story questioning the use of the photo, the AP posted an updated caption to "better explain what was happening" -- in that the girl was reacting because Romney was posing for a photo directly in front of her.

The updated caption read: "Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney poses for photographs with students of Fairfield Elementary School, Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, in Fairfield, Va. A student, right, reacts as she realizes Romney will crouch down directly in front of her and her classmates for the group photo."

Steve Manuel, senior lecturer at Penn State's College of Communications and an award-winning photojournalist, said the AP must have known how the image would be perceived when they published it.

"In this photo, while it may appear funny, AP knows exactly what viewers are thinking," he wrote in an email. "It's not legitimate news. AP knows that viewers are going to chuckle and imagine what the little girl is seeing, and it makes Gov. Romney appear a bit foolish. That isn't the purpose or mission of photojournalism. ... Candidate or not, it is not the mission of a news organization to place anyone in a position to be ridiculed or made fun of. Reporting the news is, and this is not newsworthy."

Stephen Ward, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the photo by itself was not too offensive but noted it could be exploited.

"Looking at the photo, it just strikes me as not particularly offensive. It's more funny," he said. "But in a highly charged political environment like this, you have to be very careful. I don't particularly have a problem with the shot. As long as the caption is fine. My problem is in how people might use it."

The AP may have entered a bit of a gray area with this one. The photo was not altered or manipulated in any apparent way. But the National Press Photographers Association code of ethics offers some guidance.

"Treat all subjects with respect and dignity," it says. The code also says: "Be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects."

Graham noted that the image coincided with a story with a decidedly anti-Romney tone.

The AP piece that ran around the same time was about how Romney had decided to skip a Nickelodeon-sponsored "Kids Pick the President" special that President Obama had agreed to.

The story was in large part a venue for show producer Linda Ellerbee to sound off on the Republican nominee.

"That's several million kids who actually want to get involved in the democratic process," Ellerbee told the AP. "They don't deserve to be dissed. But former Gov. Romney also blew off Letterman and Big Bird, so I guess we're in good company."

Romney's campaign claimed it didn't have time. Also, kids don't actually vote.

[vector7]

It Looks Like Carter All Over Again

October 9, 2012 - 12:42 pm - by Michael Ledeen



In the end, Carter lost to Reagan because he dithered too much, because he was just too feckless, because our enemies were running amok, and Carter was trying to make a deal with them instead of acting the way most of us thought a real American leader should act.

Then, as now, the media were overwhelmingly behind the Democratic incumbent, but the real world overwhelmed them. Then, it was American hostages in Iran. Now, it is American dead in Libya. Then, it was a mob of Iranian “students” shrieking “death to America” in Tehran and taking over the American embassy . Now, it is jihadi killers in Benghazi gunning down our ambassador and three soldiers, and burning the consulate.

Back then, the symbol of a failed president was a big rabbit. Now, it’s a big bird.

Machiavelli says that once a leader becomes an object of contempt, he’s doomed. Which is Obama’s current condition. Once you become the butt of jokes the aura of leadership is gone forever.

I have real trouble imagining that Obama/Biden can undo this situation. If my political future hinged on the performance of Joe Biden, I’d be in despair. Hell, if my political future hinged on Obama’s performance sans teleprompter, I’d be looking for the foodstamp counter.

Polls or no polls, Obama has been crippled, and the striking similarities with Carter evoke 1980, when lots of polls were calling for a photo finish, and Carter believed to the last minute that he could win.


You will say that Romney is no Reagan. And I will say that back in 1980 hardly anyone knew that Reagan was Reagan. But they knew that Carter was a dithering wimp and they had had enough.

[American Patriot]

As an aside on character and leadership, has anyone heard Obama himself say anything about the death of Ambassador Stevens? Ambassadors are posted by a President and and later confirmed. That puts Obama at center stage to say something, which I cannot see where he has.

Phil I have not heard the President say ANYTHING personally about this. It's been going through the Press secretary and other puppets.

[American Patriot]

If Obama wins this election then it isn't Leadership that is doomed, it's America.

Machiavelli was correct in his statement.

A leader doesn't just have power. A leader must be able to have respect for his ideas and leadership. When Carter wouldn't listen to the men on the ground in Egypt - he lost my vote. When he let those men die in Iran, he lost my respect.

[American Patriot]

Phil. I DID find this from VOA


Obama Condemns Libya Attack That Killed US Ambassador

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President Barack Obama delivers a statement alongside Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, following the death of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and others, from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, September 12, 2012


Dan Robinson
September 12, 2012

WHITE HOUSE — President Barack Obama on Wednesday condemned the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens on Tuesday. Obama also responded to criticism from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The White House said Obama spoke with the families of Ambassador Stevens and Sean Smith, another embassy employee who was killed in Benghazi.

In the White House Rose Garden with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by his side, Obama said he ordered steps to enhance security for U.S. diplomats and personnel around the world.

The United States, he said, will not rest until those responsible for the killings are brought to justice.

"We are working with the government of Libya to secure our diplomats, and I have also directed my administration to increase our security at diplomatic posts around the world. And make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people," Obama said.

Watch a related report by VOA's Scott Stearns
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Ambassador Stevens and the three other Americans were killed when a mob, angered by an amateur film that mocks Islam's Prophet Muhammad, stormed the U.S. consulate in Libya.

In Egypt, protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy in Cairo on Tuesday, destroying an American flag and replacing it with an Islamic banner -- also in response to the film.


Stevens' death was the first of an American ambassador abroad in more than 20 years. The State Department identified Foreign Service Information Management Officer, Sean Smith, as one of the others killed.

VIDEO: Hillary Clinton on Libya Attacks 9/12/12


​​Secretary Clinton spoke earlier at the State Department.

"This is an attack that should shock the conscience of people of all faiths around the world. We condemn in the strongest terms this senseless act of violence and we send our prayers to the families, friends and colleagues of those we have lost," she said. "This was an attack by a small and savage group, not the people or government of Libya."


Q&A Paul Westpheling talks to VOA's Elizabeth Arrott and Scott Stearns on events in Libya

U.S. pledges justice

​
US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens

• Served as U.S. ambassador to Libya since May
• Held two earlier postings in Libya
• Previous assignments in Israel, Syria, Egypt and Saudi Arabia
• Worked as an international trade lawyer before joining the Foreign Service in 1991
• Taught English in Morocco as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1983 to 1985

Clinton said the United States will continue to work with the government and people of Libya, but pledged to bring those responsible for the deaths to justice.


Clinton said the relationship between the U.S. and Libya will not be "another casualty" of the attack, and the U.S. will not turn its back on the Libyan transition to a free and democratic nation.

The president of Libya's national assembly, Mohammed Magarief, apologized Wednesday "to the United States, the people and to the whole world for what happened."



Libya's Deputy Interior Minister Wanis al-Sharif told reporters that an armed group attacked the premises in an "almost suicidal" mission. He said the U.S. consulate was at "fault" for not taking adequate precautions. But further details of the incident were unclear.


Earlier reports said several dozen gunmen from the Islamist group Ansar al Sharia attacked the U.S. consulate with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, then set it on fire. The Associated Press reported that Stevens and his colleagues were killed when he went to the consulate to evacuate staff.

In Egypt, protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy in Cairo, tore up an American flag and replaced it with an Islamic banner. The demonstrators there — mainly ultraconservative Islamists — continued their protest action through the early hours of Wednesday.

The protests coincided with the 11th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States.


In US, attack resonates on campaign trail

The Libya attack and an assault on the U.S. embassy in Cairo have entered the U.S. presidential contest between President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney at his campaign headquarters in Jacksonville, Fla., Sept. 12, 2012.





​​Romney says a statement from the U.S. embassy in Cairo appeared to sympathize with attacks protesting the film.

At a news conference, Romney criticized the Obama administration.

"They clearly sent mixed messages to the world, and the statement that came from the administration — and the embassy is the administration — was a statement which is akin to apology, and I think was a severe miscalculation," he said.

The Obama campaign issued a statement saying it was shocked that Romney would choose a time when the United States is confronting the tragic death of one of its diplomats "to launch a political attack."

In a CBS News interview late Wednesday, President Obama defended the statement issued by the U.S. embassy in Cairo, saying it was intended to calm a situation that potentially placed Americans in danger. He criticized what he called Romney's "tendency to shoot first and aim later." As president, Obama added, he has learned the importance of making sure statements are thought through and backed up by facts.

President Obama said that the United States "rejects all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others," and said "there is absolutely no justification" for senseless violence."

President Obama visited employees at the State Department to express his solidarity with them following the deaths of the American personnel in Libya.

The White House has not commented on media reports quoting unidentified officials as saying the attack in Libya was planned and not spontaneous.

The White House says President Obama is monitoring the situation in Libya and in Egypt as he begins a two-day campaign trip. The president ordered all U.S. flags lowered to half-staff in memory of those killed in Benghazi.

Film outrage

Clips from the movie in English and Arabic recently posted on YouTube show the Prophet Muhammad as a child of undetermined parentage and portray him as a buffoon who advocates child abuse and extramarital sex, among other overtly insulting claims.

The Associated Press reported that alleged filmmaker, Sam Bacile, is a California-based real estate developer who went into hiding Tuesday. The AP quotes him as describing Islam as a "cancer," and said he intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.


The video gained international attention with its promotion by controversial Florida-based Christian Pastor Terry Jones, who said Tuesday the film was not designed to attack Muslims but to show the "destructive ideology of Islam."

Jones triggered deadly riots in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011 by threatening to set fire to copies of the Quran and then burning one in his church.

Tuesday's twin assaults were the first on U.S. diplomatic facilities in either country, at a time when both Libya and Egypt are struggling to overcome the turmoil following the ouster of their longtime leaders, Moammar Gadhafi and Hosni Mubarak in uprisings last year.

Coordination unclear

It is not clear if the two incidents were coordinated.

Benghazi, a stronghold of Islamist extremists and cradle of the revolution that saw strongman Gadhafi captured and killed last year, has seen a wave of violence in recent months, including attacks on Western targets, bombings of military buildings and the killings of army and security officers.

Egypt's Al Ahram newspaper reported that a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, the main Egyptian Islamist group, urged the U.S. government to prosecute the "madmen" behind the video.




​​
Also Tuesday, Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar mosque condemned a symbolic "trial" of the Prophet Muhammad organized by a U.S. group, including Jones.

At least 2,000 unarmed demonstrators had gathered Tuesday outside the embassy in the Egyptian capital, including Salafist Muslims and soccer fans who were involved in the political protests that brought down the former government.


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By nightfall, a group of protesters had breached the wall, destroying the U.S. flag and replacing it with an Islamic banner. An embassy official said no guns were drawn and no shots were fired during the incident. He said all the employees on the compound were safe.


VOA's Middle East Voices is tracking worldwide reaction to events in Libya here.

[Ryan Ruck]

As an aside on character and leadership, has anyone heard Obama himself say anything about the death of Ambassador Stevens? Ambassadors are posted by a President and and later confirmed. That puts Obama at center stage to say something, which I cannot see where he has.

As far as I know he has made NO official statement about Stevens' death except the remarks to blame the video.

[Ryan Ruck]

This is certainly not a time to get cocky but...

BREAKING: Suffolk Polling Gives Florida, Virginia and North Carolina to ROMNEY – Will Stop Polling In These States! (Video)

October 9, 2012

The president of Suffolk University Political Research Center tonight told Bill O’Reilly on The Factor that the company will not be taking any further polls in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. David Paleologos, Suffolk University Political Research Center Director, told Bill these states are clearly going to Romney.

“In places like North Carolina, Virginia and Florida, we’ve already painted those red. We’re not polling any of those states again. We’re focusing on the remaining states.”

[American Patriot]

LOL

They aren't going to poll again?


What kind of a cop out is that?

This is funny as hell. I predicted this (not specifically with this incident) the other day when I said that NOW they are realizing that prending that Obama has a hands-down win isn't working now. They (the Left) KNOW they have to do everything they can now.

So, YouTUBE and GOOGLE - also leftist groups apparently have been asking the question "Voting for Barack? The Register to Vote ONLINE!"

What better way to sneak in some votes huh?

I was wondering how hard or easy it is to register, and just what kind of data I have to put in to actually register online.

I wonder if people can enter fake data and just show up at the polls based on their registration information and vote?

(You can't register any more in Colorado now so I don't see how this can help them much. Many states have a cut off date where you can no longer register before the major elections)

[Ryan Ruck]

A little conflict of interest.

ABC News Scrambles To Downplay Obama’s Attendance At VP Debate Moderator’s Wedding

October 10, 2012

President Barack Obama was a guest at the 1991 wedding of ABC senior foreign correspondent and vice presidential debate moderator Martha Raddatz, The Daily Caller has learned. Obama and groom Julius Genachowski, whom Obama would later tap to head the Federal Communications Commission, were Harvard Law School classmates at the time and members of the Harvard Law Review.

After TheDC made preliminary inquiries Monday to confirm Obama’s attendance at the wedding, ABC leaked a pre-emptive statement to news outlets including Politico and The Daily Beast Tuesday, revealing what may have been internal network pressure felt just days before Raddatz was scheduled to moderate the one and only vice-presidential debate Thursday night.

Both Politico and The Daily Beast jumped to ABC and Raddatz’s defense. The Huffington Post, a liberal news outlet, joined them shortly thereafter, while calling “unusual” ABC’s attempt to kill the story before it gained wide circulation.

Genachowski — called “Jay” at the time of his wedding, sources told TheDC — and Raddatz would go on to have a son together before their divorce in 1997. They have both since remarried to other people.

A source who attended the 1991 wedding told TheDC that Obama was also a guest there, and remembered that a man by the name of “Barry Obama” was among the guests dancing at the reception.

In August, The Daily Caller first connected Genachowski, an Obama appointee, to Raddatz following her selection as the vice presidential debate moderator by the left-leaning Commission on Presidential Debates. That debate, between Congressman Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden, will take place Thursday night at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

Carol Platt Liebau, a political commentator who was a Harvard Law Review colleague of Genachowski and Obama, wrote that “despite being a year below both men on the Review and not close personal friends with either of them,” she remembered Genachowski and Raddatz’s relationship as “quite public” during those days, and that “Raddatz visited Boston frequently.”

Genachowski’s friendship with Obama would continue through the campaign trail in 2008 and into the White House: He aggressively fundraised for Obama in 2008 as a campaign bundler, and served on the presidential transition team before winning his appointment to chair the FCC.

On Monday evening ABC spokesman David Ford grudgingly confirmed Obama’s attendance at the wedding, after shielding Raddatz in August by declining to comment when The Daily Caller first reported the story.

“This is absurd,” Ford said, in the same statement now circulated by ABC’s media allies on the left.

Obama, Ford wrote, “attended their wedding over two decades ago along with nearly the entire Law Review, many of whom went onto successful careers, including some in the Bush administration,” he said without providing a specific number of Harvard Law Review employees to verify the statement.

When pressed further on Tuesday for a specific number of Harvard Law Review employees in attendance at the wedding, Ford could offer none, despite circulating the same unverified approximation through sympathetic media outlets earlier that day in order to discredit The Daily Caller’s reporting.

Ford also could not provide The Daily Caller with a specific number of Harvard Law Review employees who worked with Obama and Genachowski during that year. A photo taken of the Harvard Law Review during Obama and Genachowski’s final year of law school contains 70 people.




The ABC spokesman’s assertion that “nearly the entire Law Review” attended the wedding cast doubt on the significance of Obama’s attendance. But Ford’s unwillingness to document that claim now suggests that Obama was among a close circle of fewer Harvard classmates who were personal friends of Raddatz and Genachowski.

Instead, Ford maintained his ambiguity in subsequent statements to The Daily Caller, identifying only one other Harvard Law Review classmate of Obama and Genachowski who attended the wedding.

When TheDC asked Ford via email Tuesday night for further specifics on actual numbers, he did not respond with any.

The FCC, the Obama campaign and the Romney campaign also did not respond to The Daily Caller’s request for comment.

[American Patriot]

lol

one more nail in the coffin of both the LIBERAL media and Obama's Presidency.

Duplicitous slimes.